Introduction Central Falls High School students are definitely not performing at a satisfactory level when compared to students in other schools in Rhode Island and in the United States as a whole. This statement can be supported by numerous statistics referring to demographics, proficiency level, SAT and AP scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates in Central Falls. This report is intended to inform families who are possibly looking to move to Central Falls or even people who are interested in working in the district of Central Falls.
Demographics Before looking at any test scores or proficiency levels of the students attending Central Falls High School, it should be noted that a very small percentage of students at this school are white. A majority of the student body is composed of Hispanics or African Americans (InfoWorks!, 2014). As stated in Diane Ravitch's book Reign of Error, before schools are able to succeed, the problem of segregation must be combated first (Ravitch, 2013). Due to the heavy population of Hispanics and blacks in Central Falls High School, this school is undeniably segregated from white schools. It is this segregation that determines the poor test scores and proficiency levels to be discussed later.
Proficiency In terms of proficiency, it should be noted that students attending Central Falls High School perform much better in reading proficiency than math. Out of all of the students accounted for, the only group that failed to meet the target for reading proficiency were African Americans. That being said, Hispanics, students with disabilities, English-language learners, and economically disadvantaged students all met the target. Unfortunately, the statistics for math proficiency were not as noteworthy. The only group under this category that met the target were Hispanics. Even though most students met the target for reading proficiency, it is important to realize that the standards were not initially set very high. For example, Hispanics all met the target for reading proficiency, however only 53.5 % of them were actually proficient. Even worse, only 18.8% of Hispanics were proficient in math, however, that was enough for them to meet the target (InfoWorks!, 2014). In conclusion, although the students of Central Falls did meet the proficiency level, the fact of the matter is, the bar was not set very high at all.
SAT & AP Score Performance Just like the math and reading proficiency levels of Central Falls High School Students, the SAT and AP scores are definitely below average in comparison to the rest of the state and even the rest of the nation, as well. For example, in all three categories of the SAT (math, reading, and writing), Central Falls students fall below the state and nationwide averages. The math average in Central Falls is 410 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 479 and the nationwide average of 514. The reading average of the SATs in Central Falls is 390 out of 800, while the state average is 478 and the nationwide average is 496. Lastly, the writing average in Central Falls is 375 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 473 and the nationwide average of 488. Along with SAT scores, AP scores are not satisfactory in Central Falls either. Only 24% of students at Central Falls High School score at college level mastery while 55% of students in the state of Rhode Island score at college level mastery on AP exams (InfoWorks!, 2012). Perhaps these test scores could be due to the fact that Central Falls students simply do not have the money to afford the proper forms of SAT prep courses or to afford review books for the SAT and AP exams. As previously noted on the community page, the economic situation of Central Falls is definitely poor.
Teacher to Student Ratio Statistics on teachers in Central Falls High School compared to the rest of the state, is one area that is satisfactory in this school. The teacher to student ratio of classroom teachers in Central Falls is 1:13, while in the state of Rhode Island this ratio is 1:14 (InfoWorks!, 2012). By having smaller class sizes, teachers will not have to focus on as many children, and therefore they may be able to devote more of their personal attention to students who may be struggling. However, this ratio is definitely not consistent with the rest of the findings of the district. Even with smaller class sizes, students in Central Falls High School are still performing below other students in Rhode Island and around the country
Attendance and Graduation Rates Two more important statistics provided by Central Falls High School is the attendance and graduation rates. First, only 88% of students in Central Falls actually attend school while in Rhode Island, 92% of students attend. Also, 40% of students of Central Falls High School are chronically absent. This is a huge number of students in comparison to the mere 24% of students in Rhode Island who have chronic absences. 73.8% of students in Central Falls High School graduate in four years while, statewide, 79.9% of students graduate on time. Lastly, the percentage of students that drop out of school in Central Falls is 14.8%, while in the state of Rhode Island, the percentage of dropouts is only 9.1% (InfoWorks!, 2012). The reason that these graduation rates are lower in comparison to the state is, indeed, because a significant amount of students do not attend school as much as they should in Central Falls. The fact of the matter is, if a student doesn't attend school they will not learn and, in turn, will definitely not graduate on time.
Conclusion Central Falls High School students are not performing as well as other students around them. They are consistently falling short on standardized tests despite having smaller class sizes. Perhaps this underachievement could be due to numerous factors such as poor health and economic hardship as outlined in the community description of Central Falls. The facts stated in the report are definitely important for a number of reasons. The first reason being that families who are planning to move to Central Falls or people who are looking to work here should be well educated on the area as well as what it has to offer. This report is also important because it is imperative Central Falls High School finds an alternative to their current methods in order to boost test scores and the overall achievement of the school.
Central Falls High School students are definitely not performing at a satisfactory level when compared to students in other schools in Rhode Island and in the United States as a whole. This statement can be supported by numerous statistics referring to demographics, proficiency level, SAT and AP scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates in Central Falls. This report is intended to inform families who are possibly looking to move to Central Falls or even people who are interested in working in the district of Central Falls.
Demographics
Before looking at any test scores or proficiency levels of the students attending Central Falls High School, it should be noted that a very small percentage of students at this school are white. A majority of the student body is composed of Hispanics or African Americans (InfoWorks!, 2014). As stated in Diane Ravitch's book Reign of Error, before schools are able to succeed, the problem of segregation must be combated first (Ravitch, 2013). Due to the heavy population of Hispanics and blacks in Central Falls High School, this school is undeniably segregated from white schools. It is this segregation that determines the poor test scores and proficiency levels to be discussed later.
Proficiency
In terms of proficiency, it should be noted that students attending Central Falls High School perform much better in reading proficiency than math. Out of all of the students accounted for, the only group that failed to meet the target for reading proficiency were African Americans. That being said, Hispanics, students with disabilities, English-language learners, and economically disadvantaged students all met the target. Unfortunately, the statistics for math proficiency were not as noteworthy. The only group under this category that met the target were Hispanics. Even though most students met the target for reading proficiency, it is important to realize that the standards were not initially set very high. For example, Hispanics all met the target for reading proficiency, however only 53.5 % of them were actually proficient. Even worse, only 18.8% of Hispanics were proficient in math, however, that was enough for them to meet the target (InfoWorks!, 2014). In conclusion, although the students of Central Falls did meet the proficiency level, the fact of the matter is, the bar was not set very high at all.
SAT & AP Score Performance
Just like the math and reading proficiency levels of Central Falls High School Students, the SAT and AP scores are definitely below average in comparison to the rest of the state and even the rest of the nation, as well. For example, in all three categories of the SAT (math, reading, and writing), Central Falls students fall below the state and nationwide averages. The math average in Central Falls is 410 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 479 and the nationwide average of 514. The reading average of the SATs in Central Falls is 390 out of 800, while the state average is 478 and the nationwide average is 496. Lastly, the writing average in Central Falls is 375 out of 800 which can be compared to the state average of 473 and the nationwide average of 488. Along with SAT scores, AP scores are not satisfactory in Central Falls either. Only 24% of students at Central Falls High School score at college level mastery while 55% of students in the state of Rhode Island score at college level mastery on AP exams (InfoWorks!, 2012). Perhaps these test scores could be due to the fact that Central Falls students simply do not have the money to afford the proper forms of SAT prep courses or to afford review books for the SAT and AP exams. As previously noted on the community page, the economic situation of Central Falls is definitely poor.
Teacher to Student Ratio
Statistics on teachers in Central Falls High School compared to the rest of the state, is one area that is satisfactory in this school. The teacher to student ratio of classroom teachers in Central Falls is 1:13, while in the state of Rhode Island this ratio is 1:14 (InfoWorks!, 2012). By having smaller class sizes, teachers will not have to focus on as many children, and therefore they may be able to devote more of their personal attention to students who may be struggling. However, this ratio is definitely not consistent with the rest of the findings of the district. Even with smaller class sizes, students in Central Falls High School are still performing below other students in Rhode Island and around the country
Attendance and Graduation Rates
Two more important statistics provided by Central Falls High School is the attendance and graduation rates. First, only 88% of students in Central Falls actually attend school while in Rhode Island, 92% of students attend. Also, 40% of students of Central Falls High School are chronically absent. This is a huge number of students in comparison to the mere 24% of students in Rhode Island who have chronic absences. 73.8% of students in Central Falls High School graduate in four years while, statewide, 79.9% of students graduate on time. Lastly, the percentage of students that drop out of school in Central Falls is 14.8%, while in the state of Rhode Island, the percentage of dropouts is only 9.1% (InfoWorks!, 2012). The reason that these graduation rates are lower in comparison to the state is, indeed, because a significant amount of students do not attend school as much as they should in Central Falls. The fact of the matter is, if a student doesn't attend school they will not learn and, in turn, will definitely not graduate on time.
Conclusion
Central Falls High School students are not performing as well as other students around them. They are consistently falling short on standardized tests despite having smaller class sizes. Perhaps this underachievement could be due to numerous factors such as poor health and economic hardship as outlined in the community description of Central Falls. The facts stated in the report are definitely important for a number of reasons. The first reason being that families who are planning to move to Central Falls or people who are looking to work here should be well educated on the area as well as what it has to offer. This report is also important because it is imperative Central Falls High School finds an alternative to their current methods in order to boost test scores and the overall achievement of the school.
References:
InfoWorks! (2014). Accountability Summary and Classification 2013-2014. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/district/central-falls/accountability/accountability-summary/2013/3.InfoWorks! (2012, 2014). Central Falls High School. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school.Ravitch, D. (2013). By Diane Ravitch - Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools (8/18/13 edition.). Knopf.